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Reimagining What It Means to Thrive

The Decency Foundation is empowering people, businesses, and communities to lead with Decency – Radically applied.

A 501(c )(3) public charity, the Decency Foundation’s mission is to transcend the ingrained me-first, compete to win values that have failed us by developing the transformative promise of Radical Decency.

Humanity truly thrives not by dominating others and “winning” but in connection with each other.

To get from “here” – our competitive, me-first ways – to “there” we embrace Decency . . . Radically; that is, in all that we do with others, in the world – and, crucially in the ways in which we treat ourselves as well.

Decency: What Is It? Why We Need It?

The reality of the world in which we live is the quiet, exhausting pressure to compete, achieve and to win. We chase promotions, followers, the next milestone — believing that if we just get far enough ahead, we'll finally feel we’ve accomplished enough.

But it never adds up. We reach THAT goal – and still feel hollow. “Success” arrives but never fulfillment. Why? Because a "me-first, compete to win" is built, not to fulfill, but to rank and judge everyone – including ourselves.

Thus, with “winning” – since there’s always just one, most of our time is spent dealing with losing’s bad feelings; thus the searing pain felt by the universe’s second best football team, losers of the Super Bowl. And even with our wins – their momentary good feeling quickly fades, replaced by the anxiety provoked by the inevitable next challenge.

And so too with “me-first” – since always asking “what’s in it for me” short-circuits the pleasure and solidarity we’d otherwise feel being part of a community or team.

Radical Decency offers – not a softer version of competition but a genuine alternative — one built on relationship instead of ranking; on asking always, what might work better, not for me, but for you and me.

We replace need to win with Decency’s 7 Values, applied Radically: In all that we do; with others, the world – and, crucially, in how we treat ourselves as well:

Understanding/Empathy

Acceptance/ Appreciation

Improvement and Increasing Mastery

Decency Foundation exists to support this vitally important shift – with its life and world changing possibilities.

Instead of treating the symptoms of unfulfillment, we address its cause. We stop asking "how do I get ahead?" and start asking "How do we move forward together?"

We replace our compulsive need to win with:

Improvement and Increasing Mastery

Why a Radical Respnse?

Throughout our history, our existential crises have been events that interrupted our business as usual ways of being: Wars, epidemics, natural disasters. But now – in ourshockingly transformed world – our business as usual ways ARE the existential crisis of our time.

A pandemic of “dis-ease” – psychotropic drug use up from 6% to 25%; 72% with chronic money concerns; 52% addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, or work

A planet and species at unreasonable environmental risk

A world littered with ever-increasing indecencies and injustices

An Extended Discussion

For 5,000 years, our biggest challenges have been wars and natural disasters. We dealt with them and – crisis over – returned to business as usual.

But – in our technologically transformed world – this approach no longer works. Why? Because the wealth it's generated has been used, not for humankind's welfare, but to further its creators' wealth and ambition. And its accelerating damage has, in the last 40 years, become untenable.

Reimagining What It Means to Thrive

Our Mission

Decency: What Is It? Why We Need It?

The reality of the world in which we live is the quiet, exhausting pressure to compete, achieve and to win. We chase promotions, followers, the next milestone — believing that if we just get far enough ahead, we'll finally feel we’ve accomplished enough.

But it never adds up. We reach THAT goal – and still feel hollow. “Success” arrives but never fulfillment. Why? Because a "me-first, compete to win" is built, not to fulfill, but to rank and judge everyone – including ourselves.

And so too with “me-first” – since always asking “what’s in it for me” short-circuits the pleasure and solidarity we’d otherwise feel being part of a community or team.

Radical Decency offers – not a softer version of competition but a genuine alternative — one built on relationship instead of ranking; on asking always, what might work better, not for me, but for you and me.

We replace need to win with Decency’s 7 Values, applied Radically: In all that we do; with others, the world – and, crucially, in how we treat ourselves as well:

Respect

Understanding/Empathy

Acceptance/ Appreciation

Creativity

Improvement and Increasing Mastery

Fairness

Justice

Decency Foundation exists to support this vitally important shift – with its life and world changing possibilities.

Instead of treating the symptoms of unfulfillment, we address its cause. We stop asking "how do I get ahead?" and start asking "How do we move forward together?"

We replace our compulsive need to win with:

Creativity

Improvement and Increasing Mastery

Throughout our history, our existential crises have been events that interrupted our business as usual ways of being: Wars, epidemics, natural disasters. But now – in ourshockingly transformed world – our business as usual ways ARE the existential crisis of our time.

A pandemic of “dis-ease” – psychotropic drug use up from 6% to 25%; 72% with chronic money concerns; 52% addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, or work

A planet and species at unreasonable environmental risk

A world littered with ever-increasing indecencies and injustices

For 5,000 years, our biggest challenges have been wars and natural disasters. We dealt with them and – crisis over – returned to business as usual.

But – in our technologically transformed world – this approach no longer works. Why? Because the wealth it's generated has been used, not for humankind's welfare, but to further its creators' wealth and ambition. And its accelerating damage has, in the last 40 years, become untenable.